Hello, gurley

I have been rather negligent about posting recently, but I have continued to lurk - at least when I've been at home to do so.

You are getting some serious gardening done this summer. I wish you well on you Monarch Waystation Certification. I can just see it now - before this summer is over you'll be rescuing those cute little caterpillars and sheltering them inside your new greenhouse so they will have the chance to grow up and become butterflies! I have a sister in Virginia who has raised butterflies for years and every year says "next year they will just have to fend for themselves", then she starts all over again........I think I have read at some time that you have a fairly large yard (or is it acreage?) You might be interested in looking into a Backyard Wild Life Habitat. There is also certification for that. However last time I looked into it the signs you got for your property lines said something about one was welcome to come in and browse, but could disturb nothing, leave no litter, no smoking, no profanity, etc... good rules, but I still don't want just anybody browsing around in my bushes without my PERSONAL invitation. I don't suppose one would have to use those signs, though.

I was in Waynesville at the time the iris festival and art show was to take place, but it had to be canceled partly due to several artists not being able to attend, but mostly because that last hard freeze and snow practically wiped out everything.
I went up a week in advance in order to help get the yards in presentable condition, since we were sure some people would show, not being aware of the cancellation. Most everything had started into recovery mode by then, so with a little weeding and thinning, the gardens were looking rather good I thought........I was up there from May 5th thru May 14th. You're right, that is beautiful country up through there.

I felt in dire need of a nap when I got home today after taking a weekend trip out of town, but sleep has been elusive. So I have just given up on it.

Did you get to the Myrtle Beach rally this past weekend? I heard they had a couple of very serious accidents. I thought about you and hoped you were in a safe place.

I am in the process of re-reading "The Celestine Vision".

gerry, how interesting that you should be re-reading the Celestine Vision. I have never read it but I am trying to re-read the Celestine Prophecies. I find the fictional story very tedious and boring but I totally embrace the idea that they are trying to convey. I try to apply some of those thoughts and ideas to my every day life but it has been so long since I have read it that I thought it was worth trying to read again. Does the 'Vision' discuss the beliefs? Or is it another story wrapped around the belief system?

No, I did not go to Myrtle Beach. I have been dealing with skin cancer since last year sometime and going to the beach to ride around in the hot sun is probably not the best thing for me to do anymore. Plus I don't think there is anything left for me to see in Myrtle Beach anymore. I did go to a rally in Cherokee a little while back and I am totally taken with the area up there. It is so beautiful and when not riding the bike I can fish, hike or just enjoy the beautiful scenery and the cooler mountain temps.

The only reason that I haven't gotten involved with the backyard habitat is because that organization is very active in curbing the activities of hunters. I don't want to get involved in a discussion of whether hunting is good or bad but since I grew up in a family of hunters I am not inclined to support a group like that. I did not think of using the greenhouse to winter over butterflies but now that you've put the idea in my head......... :-)

Gurley,

Yes, that is interesting - your re-reading The Celestine Prophecy, my re-reading The Celestine Vision. If you can, try to get hold of The Celestine Vision - it does discuss the beliefs in depth and is not written as a story. Definitely not boring.

And so we begin to witness synchronicity in the making. Carl Jung was the first to call it synchronicity - the perception of meaningful coincidence. I'm going to quote Redfield here: "Few of us can look back at our lives and not see a pattern of synchronicity in the mysterious events that transpired to bring us our current career, our spouse, or the network of friends and alliances on which we rely. Much more difficult is the perception of such important life events in the present, as they happen. Coincidences can be dramatic, as we've seen. But they can also be very subtle and fleeting, and thus easily dismissed - as the old material worldview would have us do - as mere chance or happenstance."......So, here we are, two people who know each other, yet don't know each other. We both began re-reading similar books by the same author at about the same time. Somewhere down the line we are going to discover the purpose for this - and I fully believe there is a purpose. If we focus our inner awareness and energy to those "subtle" things as they happen, perhaps we will be aware of the final unfolding of this important life event.

Good night.

PS to gurley: There is lots of information to be had on growing roses organically over on GW - just click on the Roses forum and you'll find a sub heading for Organic growing of roses.

Hello, Everyone (I guess that's you, gurley157fs, since no one else seems to be around anymore)

This has been one heck of a day - governed entirely by Murphy's Law. Right now, I am hardly fit company for man nor beast. My morning began with an overflowing toilet, followed by a kitchen drain clogged. Then the rain began and I discovered roof was leaking in two places. When the rain slowed I drove down to the mailbox to get the newspaper and yesterday's mail which I had not picked up - all were soaking wet. This afternoon more rain along with a few minutes of heavy hail (small, but damaging) which pounded a bunch of plants in the ground.

I finally have the kitchen drain open - it drains slowly, but at least it drains. Tomorrow morning one of my neighbors is coming over to work on the plumbing and check out the roof. Fortunately, I have two bathrooms and the 2nd bathroom is working OK (but I'm keeping my fingers crossed).
The dogs have had no choice but to go out in the rain today and I have been too busy with other things to stop them at the back door and wipe the mud off their paws, so I have dirty paw prints all over - and the house smells like wet dogs.

OK, enough complaining. Now I take a deep breath and get on with life.

On Sunday evenings or Monday mornings, I make a "to do" list of things I want to accomplish during the week. I try to break it down by each day. Invariably, I always have one or two things I don't manage to get done on the assigned day, so they get carried over to the next day. If a chore keeps getting shoved aside, at the end of the week I decide it probably doesn't need to be done after all and I cross it off anyway (though sometime in the near future it gets put back on the list) Everything on today's list got carried over.

Just now and then I manage to get everything on the week's list done......Then I feel really good about having accomplished it all.

Hydrangea bushes are bending nearly to the ground with their heavy mopheads - gardenia bush beneath my bathroom window offers it's own aromatherapy - roses are in full bloom, but looking rather ragged with all the wind and rain. Butterflies and hummingbirds are delighted with butterfly bushes, lantana, black eyed Susans, shastas, alstromeria, day lilies, and all the other little wild flowers (AKA weeds) My yard and gardens are extremely unkempt this year for the first time ever. Just haven't had the energy needed to get it all done.

I know everyone is busy with vacations, gardening, etc., but would love to see you stop by now and then - just to "Keep In Touch". No need to write a novel each time, as some of us are prone to do - just say "Hi".

Greetings all:

My house is still up for sale. We reduced the price by 20k, but the market is very slow. This process, i.e., having the house for sale, is cramping my style! My gardens have gone to pot, sort of. I haven't been at a nursery for quite some time (this is one of my favorite things to do) because I always find plants to bring home, and what's the point, should my house sell. I don't have as many flowers as I normally do as a result. My Incense passiflora was cut down when the new fencing went up. Some sprouts come up, but I pull them out because maybe the next owners won't appreciate such an aggressive vine. There were always tons of butterflies and bees when this passionflower was in bloom. I also have to stop myself from shopping for things for the house because: What if my color scheme will be different at my next home? What if my next bedroom will be too small to accommodate my Cal-King bed and I have to buy a smaller bed? Etc., etc.

My mom, who lives in another state, was recently hospitalized with pneumonia and also had a heart attack. She was airlifted because she wasn't able to breathe. Mom ignores aches and pains, and then, her situation becomes critical. Thanks to God that she is now much better and out of the hospital.

We have been celebrating my granddaughter's promotion to 9th grade, and my grandson's graduation to 6th. Their paternal grandparents are here from the mid-west and will be returning home this evening.

Went to see the movie, Ocean's Thirteen. It was o.k., but I like movies with much more suspense and excitement.

Just finished reading "The Last Battle" (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 7) by C.S. Lewis (trying to get my grandson excited about reading it), and "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. Yesterday I started "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. The latter two as you know are old books, but I had never read them before, although I saw both movies many years ago.

Gerry, hoped you kicked old "Murphy" out the door and are having a better week!

Hi, eloise - I can certainly understand the situation you are in at present. Since you haven't already bought another house, you are wise not to do any purchasing of plants, household furnishings, etc. You might buy a bunch of plants that were for sunny areas, then the house that captures your heart may be mostly shaded. But just think of all the fun you'll have next year - redecorating, buying plants, gettting a garden started....Are you actively shopping for a house? Good luck with your search for the perfect place.

And speaking of Mr. Murphy - don't know if I ever posted this, but my dog Murphy, is named after him. When I first got this tiny puppy, I just couldn't thing of a name for him, so decided to wait a few days to see what characteristics developed in his personality. Well, if he could do anything wrong, he did; if there was anything around for him to get into, he did. So I decided Murphy's Law applied to him.----So, I got a kick out of your saying "kick Mr. Murphy out the door" Believe me, sometimes I'd like to. Not really - he is 3 years old now and doesn't get into things anymore. Now, his only vice is slipping through the gate if someone doesn't get it closed quickly enough and running away.

Glad to hear your mother is doing better. A lot of elderly people are that way - ignoring aches and pains in the hopes they will just go away (and sometimes they do). On the other hand, things can quickly escalate and become life-threatening. Does she have someone nearby who can look in or her?

My daughter's & SIL's move to California is approaching way too fast. They will be coming July lst to spend a week with me, then on up state to spend a week with SIL's mom - than a 2 week "vacation" drive to reach Davis by the latter part of the month. SIL has to report to work on Aug. lst. I'm going to miss them, but at least I can anticipate a trip out there maybe once a year.

Gerry

Good morning all,

I wish for Spring weather year around!

Going to the movies with friends today to see Evan Almighty. Hope it's a funny one.

Gerry, Good name for your dog :-) I only went once with the realtor to look at some homes, but I am not one for "window shopping". I cannot buy until I sell my home so I don't see the point of seeing something I like and not being able to buy it. There are two sisters who live about a 5-10 minute drive from my mom's. They are making sure she takes her medication and she does her exercises for her lungs. My oldest sister lives in another town, but comes by and takes her to the doctor when needed. Have a wonderful visit with your daughter and SIL.

My garden is organic. I try to never use any type of chemicals on my plants. Currently, I am growing apples, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, grapes, pears, plums, tomatoes, chilis, parley, basil, rosemary, cantalope, and avocado, plus flowering plants. If I see aphids, I spray with water, and if the infestation is too much, I use the Safe Soap. I learned to use vinegar on the walkway/driveway to kill weeds and grass. I rarely fertilize my plants and they do fairly well. I do have a compose pile, and use that on my plants, but this is also rarely. I believe the less chemicals you use in your garden, the healthier it will be because it encourages more birds, bees, butterflies, etc., that can keep the "bad bugs" at bay.

Later.